The old grounds were electric Saturday afternoon as Garcia and Mickelson made late charges and posted 67s, gaining three on Woods, who still led by four over El Niño. That set up a Sunday showdown in scene-setter conditions reserved for cinema. Woods, who won easily despite a closing 72, and Garcia comprised the final group while Mickelson embarked in the penultimate twosome with Jeff Maggert, but not before the galleries serenaded him with a verse of "Happy Birthday" as Lefty celebrated his 32nd that very day.
"The atmosphere was unbelievable all week," says Jim (Bones) Mackay, Mickelson's caddie. "I remember we were on the 15th green putting out on Sunday and the walk to the 16th tee was almost 300 yards, but we could hear the fans on 16 chanting, 'Let's go Mickelson!' It was like that all around the golf course, and, yeah, they were pulling for Phil, but the fans got really into it with all of the players. They were fired up."
"That was the first Open where we didn't visit the typical U.S. Open course from the usual rotation, and it was nice," says Dudley Hart, who that week became the answer to a trivia question. With the USGA switching to a two-tee start that year to accommodate the slowing pace of play, Hart became the first man to begin the championship on the 10th tee. "Everybody out there, probably everybody from New York, felt the course belonged to them, and they were proud of that, and they let you know it."
Whether similar circumstances can emerge this time depends on the weather and on the lighter touch of Davis, who is a curious figure in golf circles. He is viewed more favorably than his predecessor even as winning scores have gravitated upward. Perhaps it is because his risk-and-reward features, particularly graduated rough, allow players to exhibit their skills or fall on their swords.
But, of course, this U.S. Open is likely to be just as well received as the last. While portions of the 7,426-yard golf course are certain to be disagreeable to the entrants—because that is part of a player's DNA—the intrinsic worth of the Tillinghast gem won't go unappreciated. The New York fans will be out in force, energetic and effusive. Woods is defending his Open title, the one he miraculously captured on one leg at Torrey Pines.
"You can't go back and re-create that particular atmosphere, given the events at the time. And you can only have those firsts once," notes Davis. "That being said, I think it's going to be a fantastic championship because the golf course is even better and because of the fans. I imagine it will be a happening."
"The people that were there [in 2002], you definitely felt like they were taking an ownership position with that golf course and the tournament," says Cink. "It really was the 'People's Open.' I think it probably will be again. I don't see that changing. I think it has the chance to be just as memorable and something you're going to be glad to say that you were a part of."
You better (insert colorful adjective here) believe it.
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